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Team OddsShark Title Game Picks

The NFL’s Conference Championship Round of the playoffs is finally here, with the top two seeds in both the AFC and NFC set to battle it out on Sunday for the right to play in Super Bowl 50 on Feb. 7. Team OddsShark will have picks on the big game soon, but until then, most members like the second-seeded New England Patriots (13-4) and Arizona Cardinals (14-3) to cover the spread in the AFC and NFC, respectively.

The defending Super Bowl champion Patriots were picked by 13 team members to play for the Vince Lombardi Trophy again this year as 2.5-point road favorites against the top-seeded Denver Broncos. In a matchup of future Hall of Fame quarterbacks, New England figures to have the edge with Tom Brady under center, as he has won 11 of 16 career meetings (9-6-1 against the spread) with Denver’s Peyton Manning. The Patriots got by the Kansas City Chiefs 27-20 as 6-point favorites last Saturday while the Broncos rallied to beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 23-16 as 7-point chalk on Sunday.

The Cardinals squeaked by the Green Bay Packers 26-20 in overtime last Saturday to advance, falling just short of covering as 7-point home favorites. However, Arizona was selected by 14 of 21 team members as 4-point road underdogs visiting the top-seeded Carolina Panthers (16-1), who have won 12 straight home games dating back to last season after knocking out the Seattle Seahawks 31-24 as 2.5-point chalk last Sunday. The Cardinals have won five in a row straight-up on the road though, going 4-1 ATS, and they are 6-0 SU and ATS in their last six as dogs of three points or less.

Overall, New England-Arizona was the most popular combination chosen by Team OddsShark, with more than half (11) of the members picking those two teams to cover. Denver-Carolina was the second-most popular choice, with five members taking that combo. Keep in mind, these NFL picks are based on opening lines at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark. Each member of the team must select sides and totals of each game throughout the playoffs, with David Kaplan leading so far by scoring 11 of 16 possible points. Rob Pizzola is second in the group with 10 points while SuperContest money winner David Fucillo is in a seven-way tie for third place with nine. Fucillo has NFL betting tips on the AFC and NFC Championship Games available here.

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